GX: Another Story
by MaesterDimentio
Summary: Duel Academy is host to a plethora of students, all eager to prove themselves as the next big thing in Duel Monsters. Follow the lives of four young hopefuls who are just trying to make the grade and survive the pressures of school life.
1. Prologue

It was late in the morning, and the Kaiba Dome was abuzz with activity as the newest batch of hopeful applicants to the prestigious Duel Academy milled about. Some of them were eagerly awaiting their turn on the Dueling Fields, desperately wanting to prove themselves as capable and ready to enter the school. More than a few were having small practice Duels to pass the time, while others were making last minute trades in hopes of bolstering their chances. Scattered about were those who had already gone through the exam, the majority of them having passed – those who failed quickly headed home, already planning on how to win next year.

And then there were those students already engaged in their test Duels, struggling against the sole roadblock between them and possible fame: the proctors. At least, most students were struggling.

Standing tall with a confident, graceful air about her, a young woman quietly weighed her options as she stared down her opponent with cool blue eyes. Her platinum blonde hair hung down her back, without a single strand appearing to be out of place. Her attire was composed of a simple white blouse and a modest black skirt, and on her arm was mounted a standard issue Duel Disk. Currently, she held a pressing advantage: she had yet to take a single point of damage, and the only two face-up monsters on the field were hers.

The monsters appeared to be young children, barely out of their preteens. One was a girl with vibrant blue hair, held in place by a fire-like headband. She wore a red cloak and shirt, with a black skirt and stockings, and carried a small wand topped by a red crystal in her hand. She wore a devilish smirk on her face and her emerald eyes gleamed with anticipation.

In comparison, the young boy next to her was calm and stone-faced, his coal black eyes partially hidden behind a pair of round spectacles. His brown hair was cleanly cut and smoothed back. His cloak was dark brown, and he wore a yellow tunic with white pants. His wand had a yellow crystal set in it, and was currently hanging by his side, ready for use.

They were not alone, however. Standing next to the girl was a red-furred lynx, its body covered by black armor that was decorated with small red gems. Its tail flicked idly as it stared the proctor down with blue eyes. Next to the boy was a small brown horse with a yellow mane, covered by steel gray armor with yellow gems set into it.

A small smile crossed the young woman's face as she finally came up with a plan of attack. "Equuleus, attack his face-down monster!" she commanded. Immediately the boy raised his wand into the air, the crystal tip glowing bright yellow. "And because he has Kitalpha equipped to him, all of Equuleus's attacks will inflict Piercing Damage!" Swinging his wand downwards, the young boy conjured a flurry of sharp stones that rained down on the hidden monster.

"Such a shame, then, that my face-down was a Man-Eater Bug, which destroys one monster on the Field when flipped up!" her opponent declared. Springing up from beneath the card was a monstrous bipedal insect covered by a green exoskeleton. It roared and lunged towards the boy with its claws outstretched. "So though I may lose the monster, you shall not win this turn!"

"I beg to differ," the girl countered as she pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "I activate Favor of the Cosmos! This negates the effect of any card which targets a Summon Magi monster that I control." A beam of energy shot down and pierced through the Man-Eater Bug, pinning it in place as the stones rained down upon it. With a screech it shattered, the pixels flying back and slamming into the proctor, while he simply scoffed in annoyance.

 **(Proctor: 1200** **\- 300)**

"Now Lynx, finish this Duel!"

With a giggle, the blue-haired girl raised her wand and summoned a fireball that she threw at the proctor.

* * *

"Hold it! This Duel ain't over yet!"

A card rose up in front of the young man, a cocksure smile on his face. His attire looked as though it had come straight out of a Western: a cream colored shirt with long sleeves and brown embroidery on the shoulders, blue jeans, and a pair of brown cowboy boots. He gave the brown cowboy hat on his head a small tug downwards, one of his green eyes peering through a hole on the brim. "You done forgot about my face-down, _compadre,_ " he said, his Southern drawl evident in his voice. "Here it is: Roll Call!"

The proctor, whose Axe Raider had paused mid-attack, tilted his head to the side. "The heck does that card do, other than waste our time? Come on, kid, you've only got 500 Life Points, and I wasted your monsters with Dark Hole. There's no way that card can help you."

"What makes you so sure about that?" the young man shot back. "You don't even know what it does. Didn't nobody ever tell you not to count your chickens before they hatch?" As he spoke, a golden die flew from the card and into the air. "Anyhow, let's get onto what Roll Call does. I roll a dice, then whatever number it lands on, if I got a monster in my hand who's got a level equal, I get to Special Summon it!"

"Hah! Putting your chances of getting into Duel Academy all on one dice roll? That's insane!"

"Nah, it's just how I do things. Now let's go: Lady Luck, what've you got for me?" the young man asked, looking up towards the die that was quickly spinning towards the ground. Neither player looked nervous, until finally it landed and revealed the number on the top: a four. "Thank you, Lady Luck! Just what I needed, 'cause now I can Special Summon my Gamblaster Knucklebones to the Field in Attack Mode!"

The card hit the Field, and in a burst of pixelated light a man appeared. He was also dressed in attire with a Western feel to it. An open leather vest was all that he wore on his muscular torso, revealing generous amounts of sun-tanned skin. He wore black cloth pants with no shoes, though both of his feet were taped up. Around his right bicep was a small band of alternating red, black, and green stripes. His hair was covered by a red bandanna, while his steely grey eyes stared calmly forward.

 **(Gamblaster Knucklebones – LV: 4** **ATK: 1400** **DEF: 1200 EARTH Warrior/Effect)**

"Wouldn't it have been smarter to put him in Defense Position?" the proctor wondered aloud. "I mean, sure he'd still get axed, but at least you wouldn't have lost Life Points this turn. Oh well, guess you'll just have to learn the hard way."

"Maybe you ought to learn some manners, cause I wasn't done speaking." The young man's smile had fallen slightly and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "If you're done, maybe I can explain why I have Knucklebones in Attack Mode." As the monster's name was mentioned, he suddenly dashed towards the proctor's Axe Raider. "Whenever he battles another monster, I have to flip a coin. If I call the result wrong, he loses 400 of his ATK."

The proctor suddenly felt very worried about what was going to happen next. "And what if you call it right?" he asked quickly, watching as the two Warriors were about to clash.

The young man said nothing, and instead threw his hand up. A coin materialized, one side depicting a crossed pair of revolvers and a cowboy hat, the other a skull and crossbones. It flew up and hung in the air. "Calling it now – Heads!" he declared, and the coin immediately began falling. With a heavy thud, it landed on the revolvers and hat. "And hey now, Lady Luck still smiles upon me!"

Knucklebones let out a sudden fierce yell as a green aura surrounded his body. Avoiding a swing from Axe Raider, he leapt up and delivered a bone-shattering uppercut to the monster's chin. The taller Warrior screamed before exploding into a cloud of pixels, while Knucklebones merely leapt back over to his side of the Field. The proctor stood there, stunned.

"In case you haven't gathered, if I call it right, Knucklebones outright destroys the opponent's monster. Can't inflict damage though, but everything's got a downside. So, that your turn?"

The proctor checked his hand carefully before slowly nodding.

The boy's smile grew. "Well alright then."

* * *

"My turn!"

On yet another Dueling Field, another young woman was drawing her next card. She was rather tall with light brown skin and black hair that had been pulled back into a loose ponytail, with an electric blue streak died in along the left side of her head. Her torn jeans and the tube top she wore gave her a slightly punkish look, but the smile on her face and the energy in her brown eyes made her appear far friendlier.

Besides her height and appearance, the most striking part of her appearance was her right arm. Below the elbow, it was entirely prosthetic, with a Duel Disk built into it. A small tray extending from the rear of the Duel Disk held her cards for her, and after looking it over a moment, she added the card she had just drawn to that tray.

"Okay," she said after a few moments of planning, "here's what my plan is. First, I'll activate my Continuous Trap Card, Cybeast Reconstruction Unit!" A large machine, in some ways resembling a large cage for holding animals, rose from the ground. "The way my Reconstruction Unit works is like this: once per turn, I can pay Life Points in multiples of 400 to Special Summon a Cybeast from my Graveyard whose Level is equal to the multiple. So for 1600 Life Points-"

 **(SG: 3100 -** **1500)**

"-I can bring back the monster you took out last turn! Return to me, Cybeast Signal Wolf!"

A matrix of glowing orange lines suddenly appeared on the field, rapidly reconfiguring in shape until they formed a canine body. Smooth, dark gray metal suddenly filled the gaps, and soon a distinctly wolf-shaped robot was standing in front of the girl, its eyes a burning orange. Upon opening its mouth and letting out a synthesized howl, the light that made up the tips of its tail rapidly flashed colors.

 **(Cybeast Signal Wolf – LV: 4** **ATK: 1200** **DEF: 1000 LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

Her opponent nodded in approval. "A rather bold move; the Duel has just begun, yet between my attacks and your own cards, you have already cut your Life Points in half. I wonder if you can still manage to win," the older woman wondered aloud.

Rapping a knuckle against her prosthetic limb, the girl cocked her head to the side and replied, "Trust me. I've been in worse situations than this one. Besides, like you said-" She quickly slapped another Monster Card onto the Field "-this Duel's just begun! So let's get things started with my Cybeast Alarm Fox."

Another line matrix appeared, this one forest green, and burnt orange metal quickly appeared to fill in the gaps. The foxlike machine that was left behind tilted its head quizzically as it looked at the opponent with green eyes.

 **(Cybeast Alarm Fox – LV: 3** **ATK: 900** **DEF: 1200 LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

"And here's what _my_ fox says! By paying another 400 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Cybeast with a Level equal to another Cybeast on the Field. So I choose my Signal Wolf-"

 **(SG: 1500** **\- 1100)**

"-and Special Summon my Cybeast Search Coyote!"

Alarm Fox's mouth opened wide, revealing a speaker that suddenly began to blare an alarm. The proctor covered her ears, as did those watching, but the girl just kept smiling as she played her next monster. It appeared in a flurry of ash gray lines and was made of dark brown metal, and certainly resembled a coyote aside from the searchlight embedded in its chest.

 **(Cybeast Search Coyote – LV: 4** **ATK: 1400** **DEF: 1400 LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

"An impressive display of your Deck's swarming capabilities," the proctor said after her ears stopped ringing. "However, none of these monsters alone are capable of taking down my Vorse Raider, so I certainly hope you have a backup plan."

"Why would I need a backup when my Plan A's still going strong? Besides, you forgot one very important thing: my monsters _aren't_ alone, and together they can take out your Raider and anything else in that Deck!" Raising her flesh-and-blood arm into the air, she made a fist and declared, "Let me show you how! I merge my Cybeasts Signal Wolf, Alarm Fox, and Search Coyote together in order to Fusion Summon a beast of superior strength!"

All three canines howled as one before disassembling back into their line matrix states. They began to interweave with one another, growing longer and larger, before taking shape. Lines of orange, green, and grey pulsed with light as the vector shape began to fill itself with black metal. Three large heads rose up and bellowed before turning their gaze to the proctor's monster, each head featuring differently colored eyes.

"Behold, Advanced Cybeast Security Cerberus!"

 **(Advanced Cybeast Security Cerberus – LV: 7** **ATK: 2700** **DEF: 2500 LIGHT Machine/Fusion/Effect)**

"Now let's see if we can't turn this Duel around!"

* * *

"Deep breaths. Calm thoughts. Don't worry," a young man muttered as he made his way towards his own Entrance Duel. His face was turned downward, letting his long black bangs cover his face. The rest of his head was covered by the gray hood of his sweatshirt, with a single wire feeding from its front pocket into the hood. He had forced his hands deep into the pockets of his baggy black pants, and his black and white sneakers squeaked with every step he took. "Deep breaths. Calm thoughts. Don't worry."

 _I have my cards with me._

 _I've Dueled plenty of times back home._

 _I know what I'm doing._

 _Everyone in my family is rooting for me today._

 _I can win this._

… _Can't I?_

His legs suddenly tensed up as he realized he was right near the entrance to the Duel Field. His pale-skinned hand reached for his chest and he grit his teeth, trying to force away the panicked thoughts that were welling up in his head.

 _Can I really win this Duel?_

 _Am I actually good enough to go to Duel Academy?_

 _What happens if I lose?_

 _What will Mom and Dad think?_

 _What will Angela and Dennis think?_

For a moment, he thought about turning around and walking straight out of the Kaiba Dome. Maybe he could catch a flight home if he hurried. He might wander around Domino City for a while and see the sights – it was the world-famous home of the King of Games himself.

Yet as quickly as that thought entered his mind, it was banished as one of his hands brushed against the cards in his pocket and felt the warmth they were giving off. He took them out and fanned them out, a smile crossing his face as he saw the familiar faces of his monsters.

"No." He slowly shook his head and shuffled his cards back together before putting them into the Duel Disk on his arm. "No running. Not as long as I have my Deck backing me up." He lifted his head, his bangs falling just above his light green eyes. Flipping his hood back, he pulled the headphones from his ears and put them with his music player in his pocket. He stepped forward onto the Duel Field, a neutral look on his face as he saw his proctor waiting for him.

"Ah, so you're Nathan Brooks. Looking to be like your sister, huh?" the woman asked as she activated her own Duel Disk. "Well, I hope you realize it won't be that easy – get ready for the toughest Duel you've ever had." She paused, seeing him with his head tilted downwards, his face again obscured by his bangs. "Hey, you alright? Not planning on chickening out, are you?"

For a while, Nathan was entirely still and quiet. "Not in the slightest," he said finally, his tone firm and serious. His head flicked upwards, throwing his bangs up and out of the way of his eyes, which held an intense focus. He activated his Duel Disk and held it in front of him, a thin smile working its way onto his face. "In fact, I'm planning on walking out of here as a student. So get ready!

"Because it's time to Duel!"

* * *

 **I know that I probably lose points by making FOUR sets of original cards, but please bear with me: I did my research and tried to make all four archetypes the main characters in this story will be using as balance as possible. They all have their strengths and weaknesses.  
**

 **If anyone would like to point out any glaringly big issues with the cards I have created, I ask that you PM me instead of clogging up the review area. It's easier to discuss such things that way.**

 **So, this is a story that I've had running around in my head for some time now, and I wanted to give it a shot. I've been a fan of the _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ anime and TCG for most of my life - even if I was never good at the game itself - and _GX_ is easily my favorite show in the franchise. That being said, I want to make one thing clear:  the main cast of _Yu-Gi-Oh! GX_ will be making _very_ sparse appearances in this story _._ At most, a cameo or a small mention.**

 **I'm trying to avoid the usual pitfall of "follow the story but with my character thrown-in and have nothing change". This is the story of the four characters the prologue just introduced you too, so hopefully you'll find it enjoyable.**


	2. Chapter 1

Nathan let out a deep sigh as he stared up at the blue sky overhead. He was on his back, arms folded behind his head, laying out in the middle of a field. His Duel Desk rested beside him and a black backpack lay on his other side. He could hear people chattering as they walked by, fellow students of Duel Academy.

 _Still can't believe I made it in,_ he thought. His eyes drifted down to the yellow collar of his jacket and he smiled thinly. _And as a Ra Yellow, no less. That extra studying and practice really pulled through for me in the exams._

It had been a week since the exam at the Kaiba Dome. Nathan's Duel had gone, in his opinion, swimmingly, with his proctor congratulating him on his abilities herself. It had been a rather embarrassing moment, he thought, to be praised like that in front of so many people.

At least she had not compared him to his sister after the Duel.

In the days following his successful entrance exam, Nathan's life had become rather hectic: after telling his family the news, he flew home the same day and immediately got to work packing his things and saying goodbyes to all the people he knew. He even entered – or technically, was forced to by his brother – to enter a small tournament that had been held in that area. Admittedly it had been good practice and getting second place was not too bad either; his silver trophy was currently in his room at the Ra Yellow Dorm. And then today had come, and he, along with all the other students, had been flown over to Duel Academy Island.

As a whole, Nathan believed that Duel Academy and the island it was on was a rather pleasant place. After he and the rest of the students had arrived and received their uniforms and room assignments, he had taken an opportunity to stroll around the main campus and take it all in. He still did not know how he felt about there being an apparently active volcano on the island, but at least it was far enough away from the campus to be mostly out of mind.

Lifting his head up, he stretched his arms wide and yawned loudly. He checked his phone, wanting to make sure he kept up with the time. There was supposed to be a small welcoming dinner for all the students at their respective Dorms, and from what he heard a few upperclassmen saying, it was not to be missed. Apparently the Headmaster for Ra Yellow was quite the chef. Luckily it seemed as though he had plenty of time before then.

"I wonder what I can do to kill some time," he muttered as brushed off his jacket. Looking around, he saw a few students hanging around in groups, mostly sticking to those in the same dorm. It made sense, he supposed; they were the people who were closest to you in skill level and the people you would be living with, so getting to know them would be smart. _Maybe I should find a few people to hang out with…_ He looked around a bit more, hoping to see someone else who was off by their self.

No luck. All the people he could see were clustered into groups and were already talking. _I mean, I guess I could try and slip in._ He bit his lip. _Nope. Not gonna do that. It's my first day here, and I really don't want to embarrass myself by flubbing an introduction. I don't need a repeat of middle school…_

A nearby commotion caught his attention, and he tilted his head backwards to see what was going on. Not far from him, what looked to be the beginnings to a small fight were happening. One kid, a Slifer Red with impressively spiky black hair, was staring down a group of students, themselves Slifer Reds. There were even a few upperclassmen in the group – their white jackets made them stand out.

"Don't you dare try and lump me in with all you losers!" the spiky-haired teen shouted. "Not a single one of you has any Dueling talent in you; the only reason those idiots in charge of assigning Dorms stuck me in Slifer is because I got a few bad draws during the entrance exam! I ought to be in Ra, at the least – not with a bunch of rejects like _you_!"

Turning around so he would not have to strain his neck, Nathan shook his head at the display. "I wonder what his problem is."

"Ya got me there, pardner." A shadow blotted out the sun for a moment before someone sat next to him with a thud. Slowly and a bit stiffly, Nathan turned his head to see who had just sat down. The young man, a Slifer himself, tilted the worn brown cowboy hat on his head in greeting and smiled, a faded scar on his right cheek stretching as he did. "Sorry if I startled ya. Figured you wouldn't mind much if I took a load off. Been walkin' all over campus and lookin' 'round when I hear that fella raisin' a ruckus." Sticking out a hand, the Slifer introduced himself. "Name's Thomas P. Coleridge, but most folks just call me Tommy."

It took a second for Nathan to remember he ought to introduce himself back. He weakly grabbed the other boy's and hand shook it. "I'm Nathan," he said quietly. Part of him wanted to berate himself for that, but another part was too busy congratulating himself for not stumbling over his tongue.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance then, Nate."

"It's _Nathan-_ "

"So, Nate," Tommy continued, completely ignoring Nathan's protest, "you're in Ra Yella? Mighty fine place, I hear. Nothing like Slifer Red, I tell ya." Pulling out the Duel Pilot that each student was given, he showed Nathan a picture he had taken. It showed a ramshackle building on a cliff by the sea. "That there's where we Slifers are stuck. Not as bad as it looks, but I can understand why some folks don't like it there. Probably why that ole boy's throwin' up such a fuss."

"Huh." Nathan's lips pressed against each other and he looked down at his lap. _Come on, Nathan, say something! Anything! Just try and keep a conversation, would you? This could be your chance to make your first friend at the Academy!_ Rapping his fingertips against his leg, he tried to think of something to say, when suddenly he realized that someone was now standing in front of him. He looked up, right into the scowling face of the spiky-haired Slifer.

"Get up. You and me are Dueling, right now!"

Blinking in surprise, Nathan slowly pointed towards Thomas, hoping the boy meant him. When the scowl deepened, he quickly lowered his hand. "Um… hello there?" When the Slifer said nothing in reply, Nathan swallowed and kept on. "Is… There wouldn't happen to be a reason- I mean, did I upset you or…"

"Are you gonna get up and Duel or not!?" the Slifer barked, taking a few steps back and activating his Duel Disk.

"But I don't even know why I'm Dueling!" Nathan cried, though he slowly gathered up his Duel Disk and started to stand up. "I mean- That is, why me? Why challenge me?"

The scowl switched to a sneer, and the Slifer gestured at the group of Slifers he had left behind. "To show those losers that me getting put in Slifer was a mistake. Here's the deal: you win, nothing happens. I win, and we both go to the Ra Yellow Headmaster and make him give me your spot."

"Now how's that fair?" Tommy wondered, rising from his sitting position and getting in the Slifer's face with a single step. "My buddy Nate here's just sittin' with me, shootin' the breeze, when you come stormin' up and act all important. He ain't got a reason to Duel you, 'specially not for some crazy stakes like that. Sam Hill, didn't your mama ever teach you some manners?"

"Stow it, cowpoke! This is between me and him, so why don't you just head back to the farm?" Looking right at Nathan, his eyes narrowed. "Besides, this guy cheated to get in here anyway. I saw those cards you used in the entrance exam, and so did a bunch of other people. None of us have ever even heard of them, so they have to be fakes!"

"Aw, listen to yourself! If they're fakes, how'd they even work?" Tommy asked. "The proctor never said nothin' 'bout it either. Quit your bellyachin' and get gone, why don't ya!" Activating his own Duel Disk, Thomas fished into his jacket for his Deck. "Or better yet, howsabout I show you how this 'cowpoke' does it?" Just as he found his cards, however, Nathan put his hand on Tommy's arm and stopped him.

"Wait. I'm the one he wants to Duel, not you," he said as he gently pushed him to the side. His own Duel Disk was active and the Deck was set. He flicked his hair back to get it out of his eyes and glared at the Slifer. "Besides, he just decided to make this personal." There was a hint of anger to his voice as he said, "No one insults these cards. I don't care who you are, I won't let someone insult my Deck."

Tommy looked at the young man, then nodded. "Well, can't say I don't understand. A man's got his pride, after all. 'sides, I reckon you're in Ra for a reason, so this kid shouldn't be much hassle for ya." Taking a look around, he whistled low. "And it looks like you two got yourselves an audience to boot!"

Sure enough, between the Slifer's initial shouting and brief but loud exchange between him and Tommy, everyone around the trio had stopped to watch what was happening, and now they all looked ready to see the Duel.

Slapping Nathan on the arm, Tommy walked off to the side. "Knock 'em dead!" he called as he stopped at the edge of the crowd.

Nathan nodded but said nothing, instead keeping all of his focus on his opponent. "Mind giving me your name?" he asked. "It's only fair, considering you challenged me."

"Daniel Wilde," the Slifer replied as the two began drawing their opening hands. "And the only person who's gonna be knocked dead is you, cheater!"

"We'll see about that!" Nathan countered.

" **DUEL!"**

 **(NB: 4000)(DW: 4000)**

"I'll take the first turn!" Daniel declared as he drew his first card. His sneer broadened as he glanced up from his cards at Nathan. "Looks like I was right – nothing but bad draws last time. I got the perfect starting hand! Still, may as well start slow, though; I don't want to end this too fast. I'll set a monster and two cards face-down and call it turn." The holograms of the cards materialized in front of Daniel as he gestured to Nathan.

"Then it's my go!" Drawing his card, Nathan only had to take one look at it before he played it. "I'll start things of with my Continuous Spell, A Grim Reminder!"

In a flash of light, an altar appeared beside Nathan. Hewn from stone, it was made of three legs supporting a round top. Red silk and white candles adorned its surface, with the centerpiece being an oddly-shaped skull: it looked vaguely human, with a crown of horns extending from the forehead, a set of cavities on either side of the head, and a much larger lower jaw.

Snapping his fingers, Daniel suddenly shouted, "There we have it! Proof that you're a cheater! Who ever heard of that card, huh?" There were a few murmurs of agreement from the crowd, and for a moment Daniel thought they were on his side.

"Who heard of the Egyptian God cards before Yugi Muto used them?" Nathan shot back, a smile on his face. "Or the Toons that Maximillian Pegasus plays, do you realize how rare those are? Oh, don't forget that Seto Kaiba has the only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world." Shaking his head, he finished by saying, "No one has seen every card in the world. There's always going to be a Duelist who has a special card or archetype only they have access to, and you don't hear people complain about them!" A few people cheered him at his last statement, though mostly it was cries of 'Put that Slifer in his place.' He did his best to ignore those.

"But let's move on! While my Grim Reminder does nothing right now, that'll change soon enough, as I activate another Spell Card." Sliding it into his Duel Disk, he continued, "This Spell is called Gravely Rushing Downward. It lets me send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, and for each monster that's sent there, I get to draw an extra card." Taking the required cards, he fanned them out and revealed them to his opponent. "Looks like its three monsters, so I get to draw three.

"But before that happens, some effects are going to activate." As he spoke, the skull on A Grim Reminder's altar suddenly lit up before releasing a trio of blue wisps into the air. "Whenever a monster enters my Graveyard from anywhere, A Grim Reminder gains a Grim Counter. Three monsters, three Counters, and that's not all." On either side of him, two ghostly apparitions of that oddly-shaped skull appeared. "Two of the monsters I sent to the Graveyard have effects that activate when they're sent there.

"First, we have Grimskull Shaman." A mad cackle rang through the air as one of the skulls vanished. "When he is sent to the Graveyard from anywhere, I can add a Spell Card featuring the word 'Grim' in it from my Deck to my hand." He quickly took the card from his Deck and added it to his rapidly growing hand. "The other monster was Grimskull Lurker, who lets me see one of your face-downs." Nathan pointed at the monster card, which rose up to reveal a Giant Rat.

"Geeze, are you done showboating, or is this going somewhere?" Daniel groaned.

"If you consider smart Dueling to be showboating, then it's no wonder you wound up in Slifer." Continuing on despite the glare being leveled his way, Nathan drew a card from his hand and played it. "Now I summon a monster of my own! Grimskull Swordsman, take the field!"

Another strange skull appeared in the air, and from its mouth came a cloud of darkness that began to coalesce into a figure. Slowly details began to take shape: it was a man, standing proudly and wearing a long black coat and gray armor. His face was angular and handsome, with pale blue skin and red eyes; long silver hair billowed out behind him. The skull above him came down to rest on his head as a helm. He drew his sword from its sheathe and stood ready to fight.

 **(Grimskull Swordsman – LV: 4** **ATK: 1600** **DEF: 1200 DARK Warrior/Effect)**

"Oh no, you summoned a stereotypical emo pretty boy to fight me. Big whoop. Seriously, what moody edgelord designed that card?"

Ignoring Daniel's taunt, Nathan played another card. "To boost my Swordsman's power, I give him the Equip Spell, Grimcalibur." In a flash of light, Swordsman's regular sword vanished; in its place, a longer blade appeared, this one forged from a dark metal and featuring a skull-shaped hilt. "Besides the cosmetic change, Grimcalibur gives Swordsman a nice power boost _and_ piercing damage!"

 **(Grimskull Swordsman – ATK: 1600 -** **2100)**

"Now go, Grimskull Swordsman! Cut down his monster with Solemn Slash!"

Inclining his head, the sword-wielder suddenly rocketed forward and cut through the face-down monster. The Giant Rat appeared briefly, screeching as it was bisected, then shattered into pixels that flew back and struck Daniel.

 **(DW: 4000 -** **3350)**

Gritting his teeth, Daniel managed a chuckle. "Well, guess I should thank pretty boy, there. I _was_ having a bad rat problem, and he just helped me fix it." Reaching for his Deck, he stopped suddenly and looked at Nathan. "I hope you're ready, cheater, 'cause I'm about to summon my ace monster! Prepare yourself, because I Special Summon Moja to the Field!"

Nathan readied himself, preparing for the worst. As the flash of light that heralded a monster's summoning died down, however, he found himself confused. He expected a mighty beast or something that looked dangerous, especially with how Daniel had been talking. Instead, Moja was rather adorable. It was a small creature, not big enough to get past his knees, with a round black body and a yellow face. It made a gurgling growl and gnashed its teeth, its big red eyes glaring at him.

 **(Moja – LV: 1** **ATK: 100** **DEF: 100 EARTH Beast/Effect)**

"Aw, it's so cute!" someone in the crowd called out.

Daniel groaned and ran a hand over his face. "There's always someone who calls him that…" he muttered into his palm. "Whatever. You finished yet?"

"Just as soon as I play these two face-down cards." As the two holograms appeared, Nathan nodded at his opponent.

"Finally!" Grinning widely, Daniel drew his next card, yet did not even look twice at it before he picked another card from his hand. "Time to show you all just how great a Duelist I am! First, I activate the Spell Card Cold Wave, preventing both of us from using Spells or Traps until my next turn!" A chilling wind blew over the Field, coating the face-down cards already there in a thin layer of ice. "And for my next move, I sacrifice my Moja!"

"Sacrificing your ace?"

Daniel's grin grew predatory at Nathan's confusion. "Maybe I misspoke earlier – Moja's the _baby_ _form_ of my ace monster, and its time he finally grew up! So by sacrificing him, I can advance the clock a few years…"

The sounds of cracking bones and tearing flesh brought everyone's attention to Moja. The small creature's eyes had shrunken to pinpricks and its lips were pulled back in a terrifying grimace. It began to grow exponentially, soon towering over its controller. Fur that had been glossy and smooth turned greasy and shaggy. Four massive, humanoid leg bones tore from its skin, stomping their disturbingly human feet into the earth.

Panting heavily, the new monster glared down at Nathan, its yellow skull-like face sending a spike of fear into his brain. Then, it opened its mouth and screeched, a noise straight from deepest nightmare.

"Behold, my King of the Beasts!" Daniel declared proudly.

 **(King of the Beasts – LV: 7** **ATK: 2500** **DEF: 800 EARTH Beast/Effect)**

"And I can still Normal Summon, so I'll call out my Beast Striker for even more power!"

In a flash of light and with a furious roar, a short, ape-like creature appeared onto the field. It had black fur, though parts of its arms and chest were hairless, revealing a body that was rippling with muscle. For some reason, it wore pants that had clearly seen better days. Resting on its shoulder was a massive hammer, and it had two large tusks protruding from its mouth, the right one having snapped off at some point.

 **(Beast Striker – LV: 4** **ATK: 1850** **DEF: 400 EARTH Beast/Effect)**

"Now I activate his ability, letting me discard a card to Special Summon another Moja from my Deck!" The ape-like Beast Striker lifted its hammer and struck the ground. In a burst of light, Moja reappeared.

 **(Moja –** **DEF: 100** **)**

"But don't worry about seeing another King of the Beasts – there can only be one on the field at a time! Instead, worry about your Life Points!" King of the Beasts screeched again and rushed towards Grimskull Swordsman. Rather than try defending himself, the silver-haired warrior simply lowered his head and allowed the terrifying creature to trample him. Unprotected, Nathan had to shield himself with his arms as Beast Striker swung its massive hammer down on him.

 **(NB: 4000 -** **1750)**

"Nate!" Tommy called out. He was understandably worried after seeing his friend lose half of his Life Points in a single turn. "Buddy, you alright?"

Nathan did not answer, but looked at Daniel and asked, "Is that all you've got?"

"For now, yeah," the spiky-haired teen replied. He calmly folded his arms and watched as Nathan drew his next card. _I've got this guy right where I want him. There's no way he has anything that can beat King of the Beasts, not with Cold Wave freezing all Spells and Traps. I can already feel that Ra Yellow jacket being put on my shoulders._

Without a word, Nathan played a monster face-down. "That's all I can do."

"Excellent!" Daniel chuckled as he drew his final card. The ice that was coating the Field dissipated, not that he seemed to care. "Then it's time to end this Duel! King of the Beasts, wipe out his face-down!" he ordered, to which the monster screamed in response. It raised a foot to crush the hidden monster, when the card suddenly turned upwards.

The monster that appeared was underwhelming, to say the least. Its leathery gray skin clung tightly to its emaciated frame. A string of drool hung from its toothless maw and it stared blankly ahead with pale pink eyes. Clutched tightly against its chest was one of those strange skulls all of Nathan's monsters seemed to have.

 **(Grimskull Remnant – LV: 1 ATK: 0** **DEF: 0** **DARK Fiend/Effect)**

"Is that all you had!? Weak!" Daniel laughed as King of the Beasts brought its foot down onto its prey. Yet the young man's laughter soon trailed off when the dust cleared and he saw Grimskull Remnant still standing, albeit swaying a bit. "What!?"

"Maybe he's weak physically, but my Grimskull Remnant has a pretty great effect – namely, he can't be destroyed by battle!"

Daniel growled and looked over his hand; he had nothing that could fix this situation. _Seriously!? And I have nothing that can remove it from the Field otherwise!_ "Whatever. I'll end my turn there, then."

Drawing, Nathan smiled as he looked the Field over. Checking his hand and the card he had just drawn, he nodded to himself. "Looks like you won't be getting into Ra Yellow today, Daniel. This Duel's over!" He placed a card onto his Duel Disk, declaring, "I summon Grimskull Spearmaiden in Attack Mode!"

Another skull appeared and released a cloud of darkness. This time, the cloud formed into a beautiful woman, with silver hair tied in long braids. Her face was stern and cold, as were her icy blue eyes. She wore a full suit of gray armor, with the skull shrinking down and fixing itself to her breastplate. Mounted on her left arm was a large shield and in her right hand she held a barbed spear.

 **(Grimskull Spearmaiden – LV: 4** **ATK: 1500** **DEF: 1700 DARK Warrior/Effect)**

"But she won't be staying around for long – not after I activate Grimskull Spiritual Fusion!"

A crackling vortex of purple and red energies opened up behind the Spearmaiden, and she turned to face it. "Grimskull Spiritual Fusion works a bit differently than Polymerization," Nathan began. "Rather than sending monsters from my Field or hand to the Graveyard, I can use Grimskull monsters in my Graveyard or on the Field! Those on the Field still get sent to the Graveyard, but I have to remove the ones already in the Graveyard from play." Reaching for his Graveyard, Nathan quickly withdrew two monsters. "So, by banishing Grimskull Swordsman and Grimskull Axe Fighter, I can fuse their spirits with Spearmaiden's to Fusion Summon an even greater monster!"

As Nathan finished speaking, two ghostly skulls appeared on the other side of the vortex, the faint outlines of two monsters briefly sparking into view. They both flew into the vortex, followed closely by Spearmaiden.

The portal darkened, and suddenly a new figure stepped out of it. He was a giant of a man, coming closest of anyone to King of the Beast's height. He wore a shirt of tattered chainmail and a damaged breastplate. Black leather and gray metal covered his legs. A tattered cape hung off of his right shoulder. In one hand, he clutched a black sword, in the other a black axe; slung across his back was a spear with a black tip. Three skulls emerged from the portal: two came to rest on his shoulders while the third sat upon his hairless head as a helm.

"Meet Barbas, Grimskull Arms Master!" Nathan declared proudly.

 **(Barbas, Grimskull Arms Master – LV: 7** **ATK: 2500** **DEF: 2500 DARK Warrior/Fusion/Effect)**

"So what?" Daniel challenged, feeling a bit more confident upon seeing the monster was not stronger than his King. "Even if you blow away my King of the Beasts, I still have Beast Striker, and Moja lets me bring another King out anyway."

"True, true." Nathan nodded as he reached for his Graveyard. "But here's the thing: I don't want to destroy your King of the Beasts. I don't really care that it's on the Field, actually." Removing a card from his Graveyard, he continued. "I'm activating one of Arms Master's effects. By removing Spearmaiden from play, I can give him the ability to inflict piercing damage for the rest of the turn." Sheathing his other weapons, Barbas unslung his spear and readied it.

After giving a quick check of his Life Points, Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that's nice, but so what? Even if you destroyed Moja, I'll still be okay."

"So I'll destroy your Moja _and_ your Beast Striker, thanks to one of my face-down cards!" The card rose and shot energy into the Arms Master, who roared as power flowed through his body. "With the power of my Trap Card, A Grave Offensive, I can sacrifice a monster on my side of the Field to give my Arms Master an additional attack this turn." Grimskull Remnant groaned as he turned into dark mist and flew into Arms Master's body.

Now Daniel was starting to feel nervous. "But… Wait, that's still not enough to beat me!"

"Which is why I'm glad I have one last face-down, Power from Beyond the Grave!" A second card rose up, and three skulls appeared around Arms Master. "Now my monster gains a hundred ATK for every Grimskull monster that I've removed from play."

 **(Barbas, Grimskull Arms Master – ATK: 2500 -** **2800)**

"Go, my Arms Master! Destroy Moja and Beast Striker with Grim Assault!"

Barbas complied by pulling his arm back and chucking the spear into Moja. The cute monster squealed before shattering to pieces, and the spear continued on until it struck Daniel. Following up, the Arms Master drew his sword and raced over to Beast Striker. With a single stab through the chest, the monster collapsed. Daniel followed soon after, falling to his knees as his Life Points hit zero.

 **(DW: 3350 -** **0)**

Nathan breathed a tired sigh as he felt his adrenaline start to fade. "Well, that was a fun match," he muttered as he started putting everything away. Hearing someone run up behind him, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Tommy wrapped an arm around him and cheered.

"Alright Nate! That's how you show 'em what you're made of!"

Nate managed to squirm out from Tommy's grip and step away. "Yeah…" he muttered, suddenly feeling more aware of the other students around him. While most of them were dispersing, there were more than a few who were cheering for the Duel and its victor. There was also a sizable group who were jeering at the loser – including the Slifers that he had been arguing with.

"They're one tough crowd, ain't they?" Tommy shook his head and shrugged. "Still, I suppose that's what ya get for pickin' fights and actin' all high-and-mighty."

"I guess." Seeing that Daniel was still sitting on his knees, Nathan frowned. He really had not meant to embarrass the guy or make him upset. _I really shouldn't have gotten so angry. It's not his fault he didn't know about my cards,_ he thought.

Crossing the distance between them, Nathan reached down to Daniel with an open hand. "Um… You did good, and the Duel was fun, so…" The boy paused as he tried to figure out to say. He really wished his brother or sister were here; they would know how to talk in this situation. "So, um… Don't… feel too bad about losing, I guess?"

He waited for a reply and got it when Daniel slowly got to his feet. His Duel Disk was still active and he held it up like he was ready to Duel again. "Double or nothing," he growled. "I'm not leaving here until I get a better dorm than Stinking Slifer! You beating me was just a fluke, and I want a rematch!"

Instead of saying anything or rising to the challenge, Nathan sighed and turned away. Daniel watched him leave and scowled. "Hey, where're you going? We have a score to settle! I want that spot in Ra Yellow!"

Stopping as he reached the edge of the dirt path that lead up to the school, Nathan turned around and shook his head. "I never agreed to Duel you for that."

"Huh? But you just Dueled me!"

"But I never said it was for an ante."

"You know what? He ain't wrong," Tommy said after running through their conversation again. "Nate here said he'd Duel ya, sure, but he never said it was an Ante Duel. Not to mention you never put somethin' on the line yourself." A thought occurred to him and he pulled out his Duel Pilot to search for something. "And now that I'm thinkin' 'bout it, ain't Ante Duels against the rules here?"

Nathan nodded. "They are. It's in the rulebook. Which is why I didn't agree to one; otherwise, we both would've been in trouble our first day here."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "So what? It's not like anyone's gonna snitch on us anyway!"

"'No snitchin'?'What are we, in preschool? If anything, Nate here ought to go straight to the faculty and tell 'em how ya browbeat him into Dueling ya!" Even though he opened his mouth to continue, Tommy stopped suddenly and lowered his head, forcibly stopping himself from taking this further. "Know what? There ain't no reasonin' with your type. Go stir up trouble elsewhere and leave us alone."

He followed after Nathan and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "C'mon Nate, let's get somewhere else." He tried to lead him off elsewhere, but the smaller boy slipped out from his arm and shook his head.

"Actually… I think I'm going to just go to my dorm," Nathan muttered, finishing his statement with a loud yawn. "Sorry, but Dueling takes a lot out of me." He started to backpedal away from Tommy, who either had not noticed the yawn was fake or did not care, and gave him a weak smile. "I guess… Well, maybe I'll see you around?" Having said that, Nathan turned around and hurried off.

Tommy watched Nathan leaving, then smiled and waved after him. "Hey, no problem! You rest up and tomorrow we'll hang out! I'll check ya later, buddy!" Without sparing a second glance to Daniel, who was still holding up his Duel Disk and ready to Duel, Tommy walked off on his own. There were still a few places on the island he had not seen and the day was young enough.

Meanwhile, Nathan was shakily trying to putting his earbuds in and playing some music in an attempt to help calm his nerves. When he finally got them in and cued up a song on his playlist, he felt himself start to relax as the bellowing of a brass section drowned out all other noise. Part of him wished he had worn a hoodie under his blazer, but the heat would have been too much; instead he let his head hang and hoped that his posture would be enough to let people know he was not interested in talking.

As he walked, Nathan found himself berating himself over that Duel more and more. _It was so stupid of me not to have anything out to counter a Trap or Spell. If he'd had anything like a Mirror Force or Negate Attack hidden, I would've been toast. I'd never have been able to face Angela again after making such a stupid mistake!_

"Not to mention I did one of the last things I wanted to do today: I got into a Duel and won! Now people are going to think, 'Hey, there's that guy who Dueled that Slifer yesterday. He was pretty good; let's see if he wants to Duel us!' And I won't be able to say no, because that would be rude, and we're here to learn how to be better Duelists anyway…" He stopped mid-ramble to look towards the main campus of Duel Academy and sighed. "Maybe coming here was a mistake. Angela didn't need to come here and she's doing great for herself…"

 _But don't I want to be better than her?_

… _Yeah. I do._

Nathan felt something akin to resolve build up in his chest, and while part of him was filled with anxiety about what his future at Duel Academy held for him, as he walked towards the Ra Yellow Dorm he felt determined to see it through for as long as he could and as best he could.

* * *

 ** _To answer the question left by a Guest reviewer, about why I did not have this story take place in the future to avoid having to reference the main cast of GX, I would like to answer your question with one of my own: Have you never wondered what the other students at Duel Academy were up to while Jaden and his friends were saving the world from the Shadow Riders or the SoL? With how many students are at Duel Academy, you cannot expect me to believe that there were not adventures being had parallel to what Jaden was getting up to. This is the story of one of those adventures - hence the title, Another Story._**

 ** _Hopefully that answers your question, and hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter._**


	3. Chapter 2

On another part of the island, specifically on a cliff overlooking the shore, another Duel was taking place. On one side was a student from the Obelisk Blue Dorm, whose side of the Field was looking rather bare except for a pair of face-down cards. His Life Points were in equally dire straits, sitting at only 1400. On the other side was the dark-skinned with the electric blue streak in her hair, wearing the white-and-blue blazer of an Obelisk Blue Girl; unlike most of the female Obelisk population, however, she had forgone the skirt and was instead wearing a pair of paint-splattered jeans. While her own Life Points were faring little better than the boy's – hers were at 1900 – she had one advantage that he did not.

A big, three-headed, mechanical monster that was ready to attack, to be precise.

"Looks like this Duel's about to be over with," she said with a broad grin. "First, though, I'm going to use my Advance Cybeast Security Cerberus's ability." Revealing a Trap Card in her hand, she slid it into her Graveyard as she continued. "By sending that Trap to the Graveyard, I can have Security Cerberus put all of our Trap Cards on lockdown until the end of my turn. Sorry, but those two face-downs were looking kind of shady to me."

As she spoke, one of Security Cerberus's heads – specifically, the leftmost head with the purple eyes – howled as thick purple chains enveloped the young man's two face-downs and her own single face-down. "And like that, this Duel's in the bag! Take out his Life Points, Security Cerberus, with Tri-Security Strike!" Energy began to build up in each of Cerberus's mouths, but before it could release its attack, the mechanical beast started to noticeably get smaller.

"Sorry about this Jen, but I don't plan on losing our wager!" the Obelisk Blue declared as one of his face-downs, which was noticeably _not_ a Trap Card, rose up. Instantly the girl's monster grew smaller, becoming half of its original size. "The Quick-Play Spell Shrink cuts Security Cerberus's ATK in half, which'll keep me in the game for at least one more turn."

 **(ACSC: ATK: 2700 – 1350)**

"Aw, seriously? Andy, I feel like slapping you for that one!"

"Wouldn't be the first time!" Andy replied as they shared a laugh. There was absolutely no venom in their words, and any casual observer would easily be able to peg the two of them as friends. "So, still going to attack?"

"No duh! Even if Security Cerberus only looks half as awesome as he usually does, he's still going to take a big bite out of your Life Points. So go get 'em, not-so-big guy!" At her command, the half-sized mechanical watchdog released the energy it had been storing. Three streams of energy – green, orange, and purple – spiraled around each other as they slammed into Andy, pushing him backwards even despite their weakened power.

 **(AG: 1400 – 50)**

"I guess it's my turn then?" Andy asked as he dusted himself off. Jen nodded, giving him the okay to draw his next card, and from the expression on his face, it was a good one. "Well you were right about one thing, Jen: this Duel _is_ in the bag! My bag, specifically!" He quickly played a Spell Card, and a black void opened up above both of them. "I start by activating Dark Hole, obliterating your Security Cerberus!" Even though the mechanical hellhound struggled against the pull of the black hole, with a defiant howl it was broken apart and sucked in. Before the black hole vanished, however, two bolts of light shot from the wreckage of Security Cerberus and landed on Jen's Field.

"Well it sucks that I lost Big C, but his other effect kicks in. I can Special Summon all three of the monsters I used to Fusion Summon him, so I call the Cybeasts Search Coyote and Alarm Fox to Field in Defense Mode." She finished speaking as the three lights dimmed, revealing the three mechanical hounds sitting on their rumps. "Granted, their effects are negated and I can't use them for another Fusion Summon, but at least they're here."

 **(Cybeast Search Coyote:** **DEF: 1400** **) (Cybeast Alarm Fox:** **DEF: 1200** **)(Cybeast Signal Wolf:** **DEF: 1000** **)**

"Oh really now?" Andy smiled as he pulled another card from his hand. "You know, those are three very nice monsters you have there."

Jen immediately sensed where he what he was planning. "Oh, don't you dare!"

"It'd be a shame if something-"

"Finish that pun at your own peril!"

"-rather _shocking_ happened to them!" He revealed the card, Raigeki, and laughed at the Jen's upset expression. Not even from the fact that her three monsters were obliterated by lightning strikes, just by how bad that pun had been. "Come on, was it really that bad?"

"I hate you."

"Yeesh, tough crowd. But if a little joke like that made me hate you, then this one'll really grind your gears!" Jen groaned and rolled her eyes as he snickered and played a Monster. "I'll start things up with my Red Gadget!" On cue, a red robot with silver limbs, a round body and head, unaligned yellow eyes, and a large gear on its back appeared. "And his effect lets me add a Yellow Gadget to my hand from my Deck, but by playing Double Summon I can throw him onto the Field as well." Next to Red Gadget appeared a yellow robot, this one with spindly silver limbs that ended in large hands and feet. On its back were wing-like appendages made from a split gear, and it had one green eye in its boxy head.

 **(Red Gadget – LV: 4** **ATK: 1300** **DEF: 1500 EARTH Machine/Effect)**

 **(Yellow Gadget – LV: 4** **ATK: 1200** **DEF: 1200 EARTH Machine/Effect)**

Despite her situation, Jen still burst out laughing upon seeing Yellow Gadget appear. Knowing exactly why that was, Andy laughed with her. "Sorry, but… No, I'm not sorry – how am I supposed to take that monster seriously when it's got a gear coming out of its crotch!" Jen guffawed. "It just looks so silly and wrong!"

While she kept laughing, Andy took the advantage to add Green Gadget to his hand from his Deck, courtesy of Yellow Gadget's effect. He did not pay much attention to it, though, and instead played the one other card he had in his hand. "As much as I hate to interrupt that laugh I love to hear, I'm activating Monster Reborn to Special Summon the Green Gadget you scrapped earlier back from the Graveyard."

Another robot appeared between the Red and Yellow Gadgets; as the name suggested, it was green in color. Unlike its fellow Gadgets, however, its gear was not located on its back. Instead, its entire lower body was the gear, while its upper torso floated above the gear. It had silver limbs and large hands and feet like the others, and its dome-shaped head had a single red eye.

 **(Green Gadget – LV: 4** **ATK: 1400** **DEF: 600 EARTH Machine/Effect)**

"That of course gets me another Red Gadget, but I doubt that one really matters since this Duel's over. Go, my Gadget Trio! Pummel Gear!" All three robots rocketed forward and slammed into Jen, knocking her over and sending her Life Points plummeting to zero.

 **(JS: 1900 – 0)**

As Jen picked herself up, Andy shook his head, making his lime-green ponytail bounce. "Told you that making that wager was a terrible idea. Man, Jen – not even here a day and already making such big mistakes!"

The dark-skinned girl rolled her eyes. "Ah, whatever. I had you on the ropes there and you know it. If you hadn't had Shrink ready to go, I'd be the one who won our bet."

"Speaking of? Care to pay up?" he teased.

"Fine, fine." Jen dropped to her knees and threw her arms into the air. "Oh, almighty Andrew Grissom, future King of Games and greatest student in Duel Academy, thank you for gracing me with your presence. This pitiful fool is ever so gracious that you spared your precious and invaluable time to grant me a Duel." Finishing her sarcasm-laden praise with a low bow, Jen came up from it laughing and smiling. "I still can't believe _that's_ what you wanted me to say. Ego much?"

"Stick around here long enough and you'll probably get an ego too," Andy replied as he offered her a hand. She gratefully accepted it and soon found herself in a tight hug. "Ah, so good to see you again, my little Jen-ius!"

"Ugh! You know I hate that nickname!"

"Why do you think I use it so much?"

Jen groaned as she pushed off of him, any annoyance vanishing as she looked at one of her oldest friends. He was two years older than her, so unlike the Obelisk Blue freshmen, he wore a white-on-blue jacket like hers. His facial features were soft yet sharp, and she had often joked that he stood firmly on the line between handsome and pretty.

"So, how do you like Duel Academy? I know your classes haven't started yet, but you've already checked out the island, right?" Andy asked as the two of them started walking along the cliff. "No one's giving you any trouble or anything, are they? You know I'll put anyone who does in their place."

"Please, I just got here. Even I'm not unlucky enough to start making enemies my first day. Give me to the end of the week, though, and I'm sure I'll have plenty."

"Knowing you? Yeah, that's a definite."

Jen gave him a light, playful shove. "I swear you're such a jerk."

"Wrong: I am an _awesome_ jerk. Get it right."

The two of them continued to walk and talk, eventually finding a path that led down to the beach. As they walked along the shoreline, topics ranging from what Jen needed to expect at Duel Academy to Andy's own adventures at the schools to how things were going back home in Los Angeles. Their conversations were interspersed with little jabs at each other and private jokes that had both of them laughing from nostalgia.

For Jen, this whole thing was something of a blessing in disguise. Make no mistake about it: she had been pumped about being accepted to Duel Academy, to the point where she was sure her friends and family back home were tired of hearing about the school. Her excitement had carried over on the helicopter ride in. The moment they touched down and she stepped foot on the island, however, something she had not even thought about finally hit home for her.

 _I am all alone here._

That one thought almost made her regret coming. There she was, on an island in the Pacific, surrounded by people from all over the world – yet not a single person knew who she was and she had no idea who any of them were. The thought had been unsettling, to put it simply.

Sure, she managed to adjust after getting to her dorm room and settling in, but that thought had been stuck in her head all day. That is, up until she heard a knock, opened her door, and found Andy standing there with the biggest smile on his face.

Just knowing that one of her best friends was there with her made her day.

"So anyway, Jacquelyn manages to get both of the dice stuck up her nose, and then she _sneezes_ – I'm talking a hurricane-level sneeze, here – and out flies the dice. Perfect sixes, she lands on Boardwalk, and suddenly Todd's beating himself over the head for selling her Park Place earlier-"

"He sold her _Park Place_?"

"He _really_ wanted the money so he could start putting down hotels. Hotels that _nobody_ landed on."

The two of them burst out laughing, leaning into each other to share in each other's mirth. They had walked a fair way down the shoreline and the sky was starting to show the first reddish hues of evening. "That stupid little brat! Please, _please_ : tell me you recorded that!" Andy said as he gasped for air.

"Well, duh! I've got it saved to a flash drive back in my dorm; I'll show you when we get back."

"Probably have to wait until tomorrow. Guys and girls can't go into each other's dorms after sunset, and judging by how far that sun's setting we'll hit curfew by the time we're back." Andy slowly pulled Jen into another hug, cradling her head against his chest. She responded by leaning further into the embrace. "It's so good to see you again, Jen. Sorry I haven't been able to come home for the past two years; I've just been so busy here and with trying to get into the Minor Leagues."

"I understand," she said softly. "I mean, it sucked when you wouldn't show up for Christmas or anyone's birthdays, but we knew why. We were all cheering for you, every time we heard you were entering another tournament. Although," she tilted her head up, a mischievous smirk on her face, "if you're really so awesome, why haven't you _won_ any of those tournaments?"

"Okay, really? We're having a moment and you have to go there?" Just as Andy was about to give a jab of his own, he was interrupted by another voice calling his name.

"Oh Andrew dearest!" It was an airy, dainty voice, with the slightest hint of a French accent to it. The two old friends broke their embrace and looked to see someone heading towards them, jogging lightly. Even from this distance Jen could see the large, blonde curls that flowed off the back of her head. Those curls soon had a face put to them as she came closer; it was pale and doll-like – in fact, that was a good way to describe the young lady as a whole. She looked fragile, like a hard wind could shatter her. She wore a long-sleeved version of the Obelisk Blue Girl's blazer and a much longer version of the skirt, long enough to cover her ankles. "There you are Andrew, you naughty boy! Trying to avoid poor, little me?"

"Hey Marguerite. You have a good stay in Paris?" Andy asked.

"It was magnificent! Mother recently got the most wonderful little apartment, just a short walk from this lovely café. Their cakes are absolutely delicious. I am sure you would love them!" She finished her sentence with a vibrant smile, but it soon faded when she saw Jen standing right next to Andy. "Ah… And who is this? Did you find a girlfriend, perhaps?"

The two friends shared a look of surprise, matching blushes on their faces. "No, no, no! Marguerite, you've got it all wrong – this is my best friend, Jennifer Silverman!" Andy hastily explained. "I haven't seen her in two years and was just showing her around the island. She's new here. Why don't I introduce the two of you?" To Jen, he said, "Jen, meet Marguerite Beaumont. She's one of my best friends here and a great Duelist." Turning to Marguerite, he said, "And this is Jennifer Silverman, though she usually goes by Jen. She's one of my best friends back home and, well, another really good Duelist."

The two girls were silent, sizing the other up, before they both smiled and extended their hands.

"Nice to meet you, Marguerite."

"And a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Jennifer."

"Oh, you can just call me Jen-"

"Marguerite's got a thing about nicknames," Andy cut in. "It takes a little getting used to, trust me, but it's just how she is. Don't mind her."

"So I'm guessing calling her Margie's out of the question?"

"Ugh, don't remind me of when I first did that. She really went off on me."

"In my defense, I barely knew you at the time, Andrew," Marguerite said with a pout. "It is not fair to me for you to hold that against me. I believed you to be a pervert or stalker of some sort; with the character of some boys on this island, you could hardly blame me for, as you say, 'freaking out' when you approached me so casually."

"Yeah, he can come across a bit overly-friendly. We met when he came up behind me and gave me a massive hug."

"And got punched by your prosthetic for it." Andy idly rubbed his jaw, remembering just how badly that punch had hurt. His Duel Pilot went off suddenly as it received a message, and he quickly dug it out of his jacket pocket. His eyes scanned the message and he sighed. "Ugh, seriously? That lazy punk! Sorry girls, but I've got to go. One of my classes had a group project over the break, and my partner just told me that he didn't do his part, so now I've got to hurry and salvage everything!"

As he hurried off, Marguerite called out, "Good luck with Kennedy! Oh, and I left a few camellias by your door – your favorites!" Despite not replying, he gave her a thumbs up as he ran to the top of the cliff.

"Since when does Andy like flowers?" Jen wondered quietly.

"Since he met me, I would imagine," replied Marguerite. "After all, I was the one who introduced him to them. Flowers are a passion of mine, you see; I grow them and give them out to my dearest friends. I found that pink and red camellias suited him the best, so I send him a few every month. He seems to appreciate them and says they brighten up his room." She turned to Jen and frowned. "Though… I am not sure what sort of flower would suit you. Not yet anyway."

"I'm not really into flowers anyway," Jen replied. "I'm more into gadgets and gizmos of all shapes and sizes."

Marguerite quietly nodded as she started to walk around Jen, who, for her part, was rather calm about being sized up by the dainty damsel. "So… Andrew and you are _just_ friends?" she asked rather tersely.

" _Best friends,_ " was Jen's firm reply.

"I see." Marguerite slowly came to a stop in front of Jen again and scanned her with the utmost scrutiny, like a jeweler appraising a gem. "He claims that you are a 'really good' Duelist, no? Well I suppose you would not be here otherwise, but…" There was a small smile on her face as she asked, "Would you like to prove Andrew's words?"

* * *

By the time Jen reached the wooded area that Marguerite had led her to, with Marguerite messaging someone over her Duel Pilot the entire time, her opinion on the French girl was lower than it had been to begin with. So far Marguerite had managed to interrupt a private moment between her and her best friend – and currently her _only_ friend on this island – and she knew that from the moment they met, Marguerite had been judging her. And while she could not quite put a finger on it, something about this girl seemed completely off to her. Fake: that was a good word to describe how Marguerite felt.

She would have to grill Andy about his relationship with Marguerite later. Maybe it was none of her business, but Andy was her best friend, and had been before Marguerite had shown up, and she was positive the girl had feelings for Andy. As such, she had some right to make sure this girl was not bad news, for his sake. Jen could definitely be sure of one thing, though: there was no way that Andy had noticed Marguerite's attraction to him. Nice as he was, she knew the boy had a skull not even a diamond-tipped drill could get through when it came to romance and the like.

And if it turned out this girl was bad news – well, it was her duty as a friend to warn him.

The place that Marguerite had led her to was a small part of the island's vast forest, only a short distance from where the Obelisk Girls Dorm was located. Even from here she could see the lights in the windows and a few girls meandering about outside the dorm. There was supposed to be a welcoming banquet that night and she hoped they would return in time to eat. When they finally arrived at their destination, a large clearing filled with flowers, Jen was honestly unsurprised to see another girl already there.

"Oh. You're the new girl," the girl said in a bored tone. Her whole posture and bearing made her seem bored, in fact: the slight slouch, the folded arms, and the half-lidded gray eyes all made her look like she would rather be anywhere than here. Strange as it was, even the short bob-cut her black hair was cut in added to her air of boredom. Unlike Marguerite or Jen, she wore the standard Obelisk Girl's uniform, a sleeveless blazer and a skirt that really seemed too short in Jen's opinion. "Name's Viola. You?"

"Jen-"

"Jennifer, here, is an old friend of dearest Andrew, and he claims she is a rather skilled Duelist," Marguerite said, putting on an extra emphasis when saying Jennifer. Jen leveled a glare at the back of the girl's head. "While you know I would _never_ be one to doubt that man's word, I was concerned that, perhaps, he may have exaggerated her ability. Which is why I called you, Viola: I thought you could put my fears to rest by giving Jennifer a test."

The urge to clock the blonde was strong within Jen. Every word that girl had just said was total bull: she was not interested in making sure Andy was right, she just wanted to see if Jen would lose. Besides, if she thoughts so highly of him, his word should have been enough.

 _But if she really wants to see if I can measure up to Andy's words, then I got one thing to say to her: bring it!_

Roughly and intentionally pushing Marguerite aside so she could face down her opponent, Jen smiled as she activated the Duel Disk on her prosthetic. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'd hate to have _Margie_ here worrying about my skill. So let's get this started, shall we?"

The barest hint of a smile cracked Viola's stoic expression, and she lifted up her own Duel Disk. Marguerite, upset by the use of that nickname, nonetheless walked over to the edge of the clearing and out of the way of the Duelists.

" **DUEL!"**

 **(JS: 4000)(VQ: 4000)**

"Challenger first."

"Thanks!" Jen smiled as she drew her sixth card, and already she could see the possible routes she could take with her hand. _Let's see… With Alarm Fox and Signal Wolf I could try and go for Security Cerberus, but that would take a big chunk of Life Points. I've got no idea what she plays, so if she's running burn that would be bad for me. So how about we start things slow and steady?_ She played one of the monsters in her hand face-down, then set two more cards face-down. "That'll be it for me."

Viola nodded and drew her own card. Without hesitating, she played a Spell Card. "I use Card Destruction."

 _So much for Big C._

After they both finished drawing their new hands, Viola immediately played another two Spells. "I play Double Summon and Recurring Nightmare." She paused after realizing her opponent may not know what the latter card did, and added, "Recurring Nightmare lets me bring two DARK monsters with a Defense of zero from my Graveyard to my hand." Two cards shot out of her Graveyard tray and she revealed them. "Steelswarm Girastag and Mantis."

Steelswarm. There was a name that left Jen feeling uneasy. _Please don't tell me they're giant bugs. That's just what I needed. I mean, I guess I at least have an idea of what to look forward to now, buy why bugs?_

"Now I summon Steelswarm Gatekeeper and Steelswarm Caller," Viola said as she continued her turn.

The first of the two monsters was a large, insect-like creature that was entirely covered in black armor, with a dome-shaped shell on its back. It walked on four legs, with five claws on each foot. Aside from a gray insignia on top of its disk-like head and its yellow eyes, its face was featureless.

The second monster was a humanoid insect, standing on two legs in a hunched-over position. Two large wings made of black-veined, orange membranes extended out of its shoulders. Like the other Steelswarm, it was covered in black armor and had bright yellow eyes; unlike the Gatekeeper, it had a large mouth that continuously hung open.

 **(Steelswarm Gatekeeper – LV: 4** **ATK: 1500** **DEF: 1900 DARK Fiend/Effect)**

 **(Steelswarm Caller – LV: 4** **ATK: 1700** **DEF: 0 DARK Fiend/Effect)**

"My! Going for the throat so soon, Viola?" Marguerite commented from the sidelines. "I should have warned you, Jennifer darling, that Viola is one of the best Duelists in Obelisk Blue. She has outdueled almost all of the girls and most of the boys – aside from dear Andrew, of course."

"Good for her," Jen muttered, feeling her skin crawl as she saw the two bug-like creatures staring her down from across the clearing. "But I guess that means I'll be one of the best when I beat her!"

Again, there was a flicker of a smile on Viola's face. "Caller, attack the face-down." The humanoid insect did so by letting out a piercing screech that flipped the card face-up. Cerulean lines rapidly formed a wireframe figure that was filled in by dark green metal, until a large turtle shell had solidified.

 **(Cybeast Gear Tortoise – LV: 4 ATK: 1000** **DEF: 1900** **LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

Two panels on the turtle shell lifted up once the scream ended and small gears fired out of them, hitting Viola in retaliation.

 **(VQ: 4000 – 3800)**

"And now for Gear Tortoise's Flip Effect: he switches the Battle Position of one monster on your side of the Field, and I choose Steelswarm Caller!" Jen declared, all while Gear Tortoise's shell split open along the top and launched a much larger gear at Steelswarm Caller. When it struck, the fiendish creature was knocked to the ground.

 **(Steelswarm Caller:** **DEF: 0** **)**

"I'll set two cards. Then my turn's over," Viola said.

Those two cards did have her worried, but Jen knew she had to take the opportunity. She drew her next card, already forming a new strategy. "So first, I'm activating one of my face-downs, Cyber Scavenging! This card lets me check the top three cards of my Deck, and add a single Cybeast from them to my hand." She checked the top three and her eyes immediately fell on a certain monster. _Oh yeah. If Marguerite wants to see if I can live up to Andy's hype, I'll show her how hype I can be!_

"I'll be adding Cybeast Laser Lion to my hand," she said as she revealed the card, "and the other two get put into the Graveyard." Once that was finished, she then said, "Now I tribute my Gear Tortoise to bring out my Laser Lion!"

The giant turtle shell vanished, leaving just the wireframe. The wireframe began to change to dark red and take on a new shape, that of a large lion that towered over Jen. Golden metal plates materialized in the empty frames until, with a loud roar, the Laser Lion announced his presence.

 **(Cybeast Laser Lion – LV: 6** **ATK: 2300** **DEF: 1600 LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

"Because he was Tribute Summoned, his first ability activates, letting me add any Cybeast monster to my hand from my Deck, and I pick Cybeast Motor Ram." Again Laser Lion roared, ejecting a card from Jen's Deck. She took it, then played a Spell from her hand. "Now I activate Cyber Conversion! By sacrificing one Cybeast I control, I can Special Summon Cybeasts from my hand whose Levels equal the sacrificed monster's!" The lion's metal body faded away, leaving behind its wireframe which split in two, one turning yellow and the other pink.

The yellow wireframe reshaped itself into a goat, whose body was made up of gray metal plates. Its torso was a mishmash of engine parts and, rather than horns, it had a pair of exhaust pipes sticking out of its head. The pink wireframe transformed into a large cobra made of green metal, with fangs made out of the prongs of an electrical cord.

 **(Cybeast Motor Ram – LV: 3** **ATK: 1000** **DEF: 800 LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

 **(Cybeast Power Cobra – LV: 3 ATK: 500** **DEF: 700** **LIGHT Machine/Effect)**

 _And here comes the big risk!_ "Now I activate my second face-down, Cybeast Reconstruction Unit!" The large animal cage rose up beside her, the mechanical arms inside already going to work at rebuilding a Cybeast. "This Continuous Trap lets me bring back a Cybeast from my Graveyard, so long as I pay Life Points equal to its Level multiplied by four hundred. Since my target's the Level 6 Laser Lion, I have to pay 2400."

 **(JS: 4000 – 1600)**

As her Life Points went down, a counter on top of the Reconstruction Unit started to go up. When it finally stopped at six, the mechanical arms inside started to work even faster as Laser Lion's body was pulled back together. With a low growl, the mechanical king of beasts stepped back onto the Field.

 **(Cybeast Laser Lion:** **ATK: 2300** **)**

"Now I activate Power Cobra's effect: until the end of my turn, it can give one monster I control an extra 500 ATK! I'll use it on Motor Ram, whose own ability increases his ATK by 400 whenever he attacks!" Power Cobra leapt onto Motor Ram's back and sank its fangs into the goat. Rather than cause it pain, the bite caused pink energy to seep into Motor Ram, buffing its power.

 **(Cybeast Motor Ram: ATK: 1000 – 1500)**

"And now I'll have him attack your Steelswarm Caller-"

"Negate Attack, followed by Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Reconstruction Unit."

As Motor Ram slammed into a wall of swirling energy and a violent vortex shredded her Continuous Trap, Jen stared at her opponent slack-jawed. It was the suddenness of the counter that had her stunned; she had not even finished giving Motor Ram his command! "Well…"

 _There goes my plans! I just needed those two out of the way, then I could have fused all three of them together! Should I still do that or just keep all of them out for defense? I don't know what all those Steelswarms are capable of, so…_ Rather disappointedly she placed one card face-down. "Your move."

Viola drew her card and paused. "This Duel ends this turn," she quietly but firmly stated. "First, the ability of Steelswarm Scout in my Graveyard activates. I have no Spells or Traps on my Field, so I can Special Summon it to the Field."

As she finished speaking, the monster in question appeared. It was much smaller than its fellow Steelswarms, being just over a foot tall. The small humanoid's body was covered in black armor that had a roach-like aesthetic to it and large black goggles covered its eyes.

 **(Steelswarm Scout – LV: 1** **ATK: 200** **DEF: 0 DARK Fiend/Effect)**

"I do so hope you have a good plan, Jennifer darling, because I fear Viola is about to bring out her best monster!" Marguerite called.

"Spoilers." Viola glared at the blonde girl, which was enough to cow her into silence. "But she's right: I sacrifice all three of my Steelswarms in order to Tribute Summon their leader!" Her voice had risen steadily as she spoke, and as she played the card she loudly declared, "Spread your destruction, Steelswarm Hercules!"

As her three monsters vanished and an absolute giant replaced them, Jen was unsure what terrified her more: the fact that it was a giant bug, or that it was so dangerous looking. Its body was covered in a mix of black armor and golden spikes. A massive beetle shell hung off its back, splitting open to reveal pale-red wings. Its long, thick tail struck the ground as the tip split open, revealing a mouth lined with needle-sharp teeth. From where it towered over the treetops, its head tilted down as the monster grinned at her.

 **(Steelswarm Hercules – LV: 10** **ATK: 3200** **DEF: 0 DARK Fiend/Effect)**

"And now I activate his effect!" Viola declared, her voice still loud and excited. "By paying half of my Life Points, Steelswarm Hercules destroys every other card on the Field!"

 **(VQ: 3800 – 1900)**

Steelswarm Hercules simply growled as red lightning was released from his body, striking the entire Field. A testament to how terrifying the holograms could sometimes be, Jen ducked and covered her head until it sounded like it was over. Looking up, her heart sank when she saw all of her cards, gone.

"Now finish this! Destructor's Wrath!"

Jen sighed as another blast of red lightning shot towards her, struck her Duel Disk, and sent her Life Points plummeting to zero.

 **(JS: 1600 – 0)**

"Oh, come on! Two losses on my first day here? That's got to be a record around here!" Jen bemoaned as she stood up and brushed herself off. _Shouldn't have revived Laser Lion. Then again, Hercules would've completely screwed me up anyway._ _Maybe if I had gone for Security Cerberus like I first planned? At least then I could have locked down Negate Attack._ She looked over towards Marguerite, who had the smallest of smiles on her face, and scowled. _Great, now I look like a joke to her._

Marguerite opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Viola. "Marguerite, leave. Jen and I need to talk in private." Though taken aback by the solemn girl's sudden request, it only took Marguerite a quick glance at Viola's intense glare to keep her silent. She nodded curtly before hurrying off to the dorm.

"Are you gonna gloat like Margie was about to?" Jen placed her hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes. "Because seriously, I don't need that right now. Just spare yourself the effort and leave me alone."

Viola was entirely quiet as she reached into her blazer and pulled out a second deck of cards, sealed in a small box. As Jen watched with a hint of confusion, she swapped the new Deck with the one in her Duel Disk. "Marguerite told me that a strong Duelist had entered Duel Academy. That was why I used my strongest Deck. I should have known she was lying."

"Hey! Are you really going to call me a weak Duelist to my face like that!?" Jen snapped. Her fingers clenched and she started to draw her arm back. "I don't care if you did just beat me, I'm not taking that lying down-"

"Do you always get so overly emotional whenever someone upsets you?" Viola asked, not batting an eye even as Jen stepped towards her. "Emotions cloud your judgement, make you take actions without thinking, and cause you to make costly mistakes if you don't keep them in check. That's why you lost the Duel against me: Marguerite did something to upset you, and you let your emotions control you during the Duel."

"That and I never played against Steelswarms before-"

"And I never played against Cybeasts, so neither of us had an advantage," was the black-haired girl's cool reply. "But during that Duel, you never saw me lose my composure once, because I knew that the outcome didn't matter. Win or lose, the Duel had no effect on me. For you, however, it was all about pride, wasn't it?" Calmly reaching out to Jen, who had stopped just a few inches away from her, Viola slowly pushed her raised arm back down to her side. "You should take pride in your skills as a Duelist, but don't let someone like Marguerite get to you." There was a small smile on her face as she added, "If it makes you feel any better, she's never even done damage to me in a Duel. You're already better than her."

It took some time for Jen to find the words to reply, and when she did it was quiet. "…No, I'm really not." Shrugging off Viola's hand, much to the girl's surprise, Jen turned and stormed off.

 _Not yet, anyway._

* * *

 _ **I am well aware of the fact that certain Steelswarm cards contain references to Tuners and Synchro Monsters. This should not be taken as meaning such Monsters will appear in this story – they will not. This goes the same for XYZ and Pendulum Monsters. For all intents and purposes, any reference to Tuners and Synchro Monsters will be considered as added to the archetype later in the development of Duel Monsters.**_

 _ **In addition, I apologize for how sporadic the formatting for the Monster Cards' stats are. I am still trying to find a format that works best; when I find one that works for me, I will go back and edit previous chapters to use the appropriate format.**_


End file.
